30 Day State of emergency!
Yes, they have declared 30 days of state of emergency. Its going to disrupt plans for tourist, if you are not already there in Peru, you are better off pushing the travel plans as safety is utmost important.
"It has been agreed to declare a state of emergency for the entire country. This is due to acts of vandalism, violence, the seizure of highways and roads, which are certainly already being stabilized and controlled by the National Police and the Armed Forces and which require a forceful and authoritative response from the government.
The declaration includes the suspension of the rights of "personal security and freedom," including the rights of assembly and freedom of movement.
[QUOTE=Tomasb;2770882]I read last night that the airport in Cusco is closed with thousands of stranded tourists in the city. Also, Machu Picchu is closed as well. The city and province of Cusco was just starting to recover from the Covid years and this news certainly does not help with attracting tourists to the country.[/QUOTE]
Airport in Lima is not closed
[QUOTE=Tomasb;2771410]I just saw a report in a US news show of a San Francisco couple who are stuck, it appeared, in Aguas Caliente, the town below Machu Picchu. This small tourist village can only be accessed by train as there are no roads except for the dirt path to Machu Picchu above the town. According to the report, the train service has been suspended and no supplies can arrive in the town;this includes food and medicine provisions. The US embassy said they hope that they can evacuate by Christmas. The couple mentioned there are approximately 800 tourists in the town who have now way to get out. Cusco is 4 hours away by train and then car. I saw another post on my FB post made by an acquaintance in Cusco of the Plaza de Armas in Cusco, their main square in the old city, littered with dozens of protesters. The airport there is closed as is the main international airport in Lima. Things seem very bad indeed not to mention the long term repercussions to the tourist industry. For what's it's worth, the news coverage in the US has been minimal, probably in part to the suddenness of this political event and the difficulty in getting in or out of the country.[/QUOTE]The airport in Cusco is closed as are the airports in Arequipa, Andahuaylas, Ayacucho, and Julliaca (all in the southern part of the country), but Airport Jorge Chavez in Lima is working normally and has been working normally all along.
One forist from this board, whom I met for a coffee in Miraflores, was lucky to get out of Cusco just in time and is now back in the US. I know of no other forist of this forum being in Perú right now but, if there is anyone, just staying in Lima should be safe enough. If there is anyone in need of help, contact me here. I don't know what will I be able to do, but I'll do whatever I can to help.
J. J.
Peru Airports' situation.
The situation in Peru is slowly getting back to normal.
International Airport Alejandro Velasco Astete in Cusco resumed operations last Friday December 16th.
International Airport Alfredo Rodríguez Ballón in Arequipa resumed daylight operations today December 19th. This airport will not be able to operate at night for the moment due to the destruction of many of the runway's lights by protesters last week. The amount of light devices destroyed exceeded the stock of spares available, so it might take weeks, even months, before the spares are imported from Canada and night operations can be resumed.
The airports in Andahuaylas, Ayacucho and Juliaca (Puno) remain closed for the time being.
Take care.
J. J.